Hope
by Kibou32
Summary: Things are going well until one afternoon, Inuyasha falls to the ground in pain and passes out. And from then on.. nothing is ever the same.
1. Part I

Hope

By: HopePoe26

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I, certainly couldn't do this type of work myself, simply because I can't draw shit.

Summary: Naraku was finally dead and the Inu-tachi has been recovering the jewel shards that were missing when Inuyasha suddenly keels over in pain and falls into a coma-sort of sleep. What will happen now?

Warnings: Inuyasha and other characters here are obviously a bit out of character. If it seems that Inuyasha looks too weak for the moment it's because for the moment he is… but later on in the story there would be a more hands on Inuyasha acting out.

A/N: I wish to thank all of those people who have reviewed. I adore getting reviews. On the other side… I would like – if possible that you give me some constructive criticism as that would make the chapters more understandable.

- Part I -

Kagome fretted. She was sweating bullets and her arms tightened considerably on Shippou who – though he looked like a tiny child – was finding it hard to try and pry himself out of Kagome's hard grip. Kagome squeezed her eyes shut as the unbelievable thought that Inuyasha may be hurt worse than possible passed through her head. Sango and Miroku were _both_ treating Inuyasha while she was delegated to stay with Shippou as he was feeling a little out of sorts. Why? She couldn't fathom but she stayed with him anyway. It was only twenty minutes later that she found a shadow over her form and thought it was unusual for the sky to get dark so soon as it was no more over than lunch – which was when Inuyasha fell. She looked up and found a certain youkai prince looking at her weird. She hadn't even sensed him coming as she always did before but now found this new turn of events even weirder. She quirked an eyebrow at the Wolf Prince wondering what could he say to her.

"I…" – she attempted to tell him – like many other times before – that she wasn't leaving with him to become his mate, but found him just staring at the small hut in front of them.

"Inuyasha…" – she heard him breath as if the word itself was a caress. His eyes glowed a deep ocean blue with an intensity that frightened her.

She stood and took two steps backwards sensing danger about. Only this time did she heed the alarm bell go off in her head when a white blur sent Kouga sprawling away. She gasped – her eyes bright and opened as wide as they could go while her hand covered her gaping mouth to prevent another sound to come forth – and wondered what else could go wrong as she had also failed to see Sesshoumaru wheezing by quickly.

Kouga sat up slowly and shook his head as if clearing the haze that had clouded his mind, and growled up to Sesshoumaru as he stood stoically in front of the hut as if he were protecting it from harm. Was it any wonder that when they faced off in front of each other Kagome's face looked like she was threatening to split apart at the seams?

"Step away Lord of the West. I have to speak to Inuyasha." – Kouga growled showing off his sharp teeth in a threatening way. Kagome wondered why in heaven's name would Kouga want to speak to Inuyasha and why was he calling him by his name instead of mutt or idiot half-breed. Not that she ever liked Kouga disrespecting Inuyasha at all, but she had become used to the name calling, so she understood that anything that differed from the norm was some cause of concern.

"I do not follow orders wolf. Not from you. Not from anyone else." – with that Sesshoumaru turned around to go into the hut leaving the former seething. With the way he showed his sharp canine teeth and fangs, his blue eyes were heated and his clawed hands were grasping the earth as if he wanted to tear Sesshoumaru into pieces.

Kouga – once he managed to control his anger – stood up looking like he was being torn in two. Kagome could sympathize with him since that was her current outlook to life at the minute. Nevertheless, it came as a big surprise when he just slumped and sat back down next to her and Shippou staring over at the hut longingly where the Lord of the West had disappeared into.

They sat there in a not so awkward silence and Kagome let Shippou loose when she realized that in her fear of the new events, she had been hugging too tightly. His eyes were two green swirls and he looked more like he had when they had been about to enter Mt. Hakurei where he had been half-purified. About an hour before night fall, Kouga stood up and looked at the hut longingly again before turning to look at her with a serious gaze on his handsome face and then said something that shocked Kagome to the core…

"I revoke my claim on you Kagome. I realize now that we could never be and that now I'm feeling more like I want someone else. I'll be back tomorrow. Tell Inuyasha I said hi." – and then he ran away leaving her feeling a little out of sorts.

If he was revoking his claim on her, then why was he coming back on the next day? And why was it so important that she informed Inuyasha that he had been around? With her hair sticking out in various ways and Shippou lying out cold next to her, she could sense – just barely – that things were about to change in a way that she wouldn't like.

The next day turned out to be more awkward than before because Sesshoumaru walked out of the hut carrying Inuyasha's clothes in his arms. Kaede stood next to him and Kagome was surprised to see that neither seemed to be warding the other off. It was as if Kaede was in cahoots with Sesshoumaru over something. What it could be, she couldn't tell. She was that non-plussed about the idea of Kaede agreeing with a demon that she began to chew her lower lip in a decidedly nervous manner. Her gray eyes briefly met a golden honey gaze that seemed to bore down on her in a way that tempted her to speak out, but she didn't dare.

Nevertheless, when Sesshoumaru was passing by next to her, she gathered her courage and presented herself in front of him and demanded that he return Inuyasha's clothes. He just stared at her and then just side-stepped her. He continued walking as if she were nothing and this infuriated her so much she wished she had enough power to purify the daylights out of him. Her hair was swirling with her purifying energy as she was that mad, but; alas as she was the reincarnation of a powerful priestess, she knew her limitations and she knew that as untrained as she was she would never be able to summon enough purifying energy to hurt him even a bit.

She turned around and found Miroku standing there waiting for her to acknowledge him. His violet eyes were sad and his mouth was set in a grim line. Whatever news awaited her – they would certainly be bad if Miroku looked that stern.

"I have to speak to you." – he said and she noticed that he looked in every direction as if he were suddenly nervous of those beings that he could not see.

To know that her friend in the whole wide world (500 years in the past) was going thru a change that could very well kill him was disastrous. She wanted to say it wasn't fair to the poor hanyou lying in the hut. She wanted to kill Inuyasha's father for putting his son thru so much pain, so much hate through out his life – never mind that the man was already dead – and she wanted to rage – again – that it wasn't fair.

Miroku explained in a low tone of voice that the change had begun that morning when said hanyou had said that he didn't feel like eating Ramen. They had looked at him weirdly then, but they had let it go when he ignored said looks. Miroku went on to explain that while the change wasn't what Inuyasha would've wanted – this was a guess as good as any because said person wasn't awake to say so – it was undeniably impossible to stop the change now that it had begun. There wasn't a way that they could stop it even if they wanted to that could not result in Inuyasha not being hurt worst than he were already.

Inuyasha was still too young to even be considered at the age of adolescence in demonic terms. Due to his change and his duality, Sesshoumaru had volunteered to take him back with him to his castle to monitor his upcoming heat. Said upcoming heat was turning out to be too soon for Inuyasha and could irreparably end up in tragedy if taken lightly.

Heat? This had Kagome cocking her head to the side and projecting puzzled thought as it had Miroku when Kaede had explained it to him. So Miroku went on to explain that apparently Inuyasha was in his pre-teen years despite the fact that he did not look like a boy. Unlike Shippou who looked like a kid of – at best – eight years old, Inuyasha's seemingly physical maturity was fake due to his human blood running through his veins. He further explained that even if Shippou maintained the illusion of being younger, he _was_ actually older than Inuyasha. In fact, Shippou's age could be said to be around fifteen to sixteen years old in human years.

Kagome was still dealing with the explanation and trying to work around the thought that Shippou had fooled her into babying him more than poor Inuyasha who had been thrown to the ground more than usual, she barely heard Miroku finishing his explanation with a brief sentence that further simplified all of the information told before.

"Inuyasha is but a boy in youkai terms, but because he's half-human his heat is coming about too early for him to handle the change."

"But what's the change supposed to do?" – she asked him feeling like the bottom of the earth beneath her feet was moving and was about to be dropped from her the minute that Miroku answered her.

"It makes him able to bear children."

Gasp! Kagome trembled astonished at how things could change that quickly. She didn't know that that was even possible! Apparently it was, but she knew that this wasn't the future she was living in and she would do anything in her power – and beyond – to help her friend.

"Because mating season isn't up to for another couple of months, Inuyasha is going to stay with Sesshoumaru throughout his heat and mating season and then he'll come back to us to continue searching the jewel shards missing. _I think_." – he mumbled at the end to which Kagome's confused stare brought him back to the present and he went on: "This is what Sesshoumaru said that it will happen and we have agreed that if its in the best interests of our friend then we will keep ourselves otherwise occupied and maybe we'll try to gather the jewel shards without him but we will not purify the jewel until after Inuyasha is well."

Kagome nodded and then she said… "Right!" and then she asked because she was puzzled by this bit of information "Why did Sesshoumaru take Inuyasha's clothes with him?"

"Kaede is doing a cleansing method on Inuyasha per Sesshoumaru's request and she has also removed the prayer beads because she knew that if you slipped the fall would make Inuyasha feel more pain and maybe cause him more injuries than he was able to handle." – Kagome grimaced knowing that most of the time Inuyasha's 'punishment' was said not in the terms of punishing him per se, but more because it was an accident when she called it out. She tuned back in as Miroku went on: "So Sesshoumaru took Inuyasha's clothing as to – I really don't know why he did, all I know is that he'll be returning with a new set of clothes tomorrow afternoon and then he will take Inuyasha to his home."

Kagome nodded. She had been meaning to take the prayer beads off Inuyasha's neck for awhile but she found that while she could command to sit him to the ground, she could not take them off. Kaede had put them on and Kaede had to take them off. She wondered the involvement of Kouga in all of this and decided that she knew of something that would make Inuyasha happy once he woke up and set out towards the well before Miroku could question her about it.

Inuyasha woke up to the noise of Kouga demanding to be let in to the hut to see him and Sesshoumaru's snarls that he better keep away from his sibling. He sighed and tried to stand up when he found himself looking at his nude body with curiosity. He knew that he had undergone a change that would make him different in the eyes of other demons and set to discover his body's new appearance.

He still had downy white doggy ears on top of his head and though at some point in his life he had wished he weren't a half-breed, he was glad that that at least had not change in him. His hair was much longer than it had been before and this made him a bit uncomfortable knowing that now he had to go thru greater lengths to keep his hair clean. How utterly wonderful.

Next came the assessment of his chest. He noticed that he had one light violet stripe on each side that hugged his two lower ribs and when he passed his claws tenderly over them he felt himself blush due to the reaction that this motion caused. He took hold of his nipples in to two of his fingers and wondered about this new sensibility that surrounded them. Why did it feel so soft to the touch and why did he feel so wet below?

He looked on to the mat that he was sitting on and discovered a clear liquid emerging from beneath his penis. It wasn't semen – he knew that he sometimes had morning erections that were seldom comfortable and when he touched himself briefly, he managed to wring some of the semen out and continue on with his day as if nothing happened – as it wasn't as viscous as semen – he ran a claw-tip through it testing its density. He rarely – if ever – masturbated but he was not an idiot not to know the "joys" – as Miroku was oft to call it – of sex. And he knew that women secreted their own lubrication when they were aroused, was that what the liquid was?

He licked it and found it to be too sweet, almost as if it were a mixture of water and sugar. But he wondered why it was that he secreted this lubrication? Then it caught up onto him. He blushed heavily as he realized what the change was about. He bundled himself up on the covers and wondered what would happen next. And why in the seven hells would Kouga – the mangy wolf - be out there demanding for a chance to see him?

Sesshoumaru didn't want the wolf to enter the hut and Kouga wanted _in _that bad that it had all the others who knew him wondering why this sudden change of heart. Finally Sango managed to convince Kouga to stop pestering Sesshoumaru and that if he waited a bit that he might be able to see Inuyasha in awhile.

Sesshoumaru went into the hut to find his little brother looking a bit flushed. Was the fever from mating season already starting? No. It seemed that his brother had been touching himself in self-discovery and had gotten a bit aroused. This caused a small smile to appear at Sesshoumaru's lips. He knelt down to the mat where his little brother was sitting and said…

"I brought you something to wear." – and was pleasantly surprised to see that Inuyasha did not jump away from him.

Deciding against staying there whilst Inuyasha got dressed, he decided to turn around to go, but was stopped by the boy when he said…

"Stay… please."

It was then both discovered the new physical change had also affected the boy's voice. Sesshoumaru nodded, but did not turn to look at his brother – giving him a semblance of privacy – while he changed.

Inuyasha realized that his brash and uncouth voice had changed as well into a slightly softer – more like delicate – tenor. He wondered if this was an omen for things to come and shrugged as he tied the obi around his hakama and thought that the silk was making him feel very uncomfortable. He tried to take a step, found that his legs being uncooperative with him and almost fell onto his butt if it hadn't been for Sesshoumaru he would have. He was now lying on his arms like a baby would in its mother's arms.

"I Will carry you to the western lands seeing as you're probably still getting used to your limbs." – Inuyasha just nodded and he clamped his arms around his brother's neck feeling so utterly and confusingly weak.


	2. Part II

Hope

By: HopePoe26

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I, certainly couldn't do this type of work myself, simply because I can't draw shit.

Summary: Naraku was finally dead and the Inu-tachi has been recovering the jewel shards that were missing when Inuyasha suddenly keels over in pain and falls into a coma-sort of sleep. What will happen now?

Warnings: Inuyasha and other characters here are obviously a bit out of character. If it seems that Inuyasha looks too weak for the moment it's because for the moment he is… but later on in the story there would be a more hands on Inuyasha acting out.

A/N: I wish to thank all of those people who have reviewed. I adore getting reviews. On the other side… I would like – if possible that you give me some constructive criticism as that would make the chapters more understandable.

- Part II -

Kouga stood before his family council consisting of his mother, his father and his siblings. From the eldest to the youngest, they all stared at him disapprovingly as he had just finished the story of finally coming to his senses and seeing what was right in front of him… Inuyasha and how much he wanted to be his mate.

His father just sighed and shook his head indicating that his mother was about to speak for the whole family.

"You are to marry Ayame. End of story."

"Why?!" – he asked wondering why were they punishing him by choosing a teenage girl instead of letting him go and make Inuyasha his mate. Never mind he knew that the inu-hanyou was nowhere near ready to take a mate.

"Because little brother. You're so insensitive and so incredibly stupid as to want to join for the rest of your life to a hanyou." – said a tall and broad shouldered youkai with black hair and the deepest blue eyes anyone had ever seen. Kouga just glared at his eldest brother.

"Is it because he's a half-breed that you don't want me to mate with him? Are you telling me that after all this time of preaching me about not hating and not being pre-judgmental towards half-breeds just because of their mixed breeding, you're now saying that he's not worthy of me?" – he yelled at them looking on to them and finding bewildered and annoyed expressions staring back at him.

"No. That is not what we are saying Kouga. You are childish. You are immature. You treated him like the lowest scum on earth for the three long years since you met him. You insulted his pride and his intelligence by stating your pre-judged thoughts about him just because at the moment you fancied his woman. And then he goes into heat and you suddenly change your mind because he's suddenly the right choice for you? Because he now has the ability to give you heirs, because he's a prince and he has lands that could benefit the pack?" – said his mother with a belligerent tone of voice. She wondered how her youngest son could be that stupid. She had not raised him to be a fickle demon.

"What mother is trying to say is that instead of him not being worthy of you it is _you_ who is not worthy of him. For that reason if you want to court him, you do so without our approval and without the lands that are rightfully yours to back you up. If you want to honor your pack, you will honor your promise to Ayame. She loves you so much… but even love has its limits Kouga and she will not wait forever. You have until sundown to decide." – Kouga's father exclaimed.

When sundown came, Kouga had thought about all of his options. And he decided that he would mate Ayame though his heart told him that though his decisions were rash and foolish… _and_ slow… Inuyasha would've made a better mate than Ayame. Perhaps… further down the line he could try and search for a way to make Inuyasha his mate despite being tied down to a bitchy girl who despite her good looks didn't have anything else that made her remotely attractive to him.

News traveled fast. One day, Inuyasha had just arrived in his brother's arms and the next the council was deciding about what demons could court the younger heir to the Western Lands. Sesshoumaru found himself a bit annoyed at how news traveled and who delivered them – he knocked Jaken a good one just for that – that he asked the healer to relay a message herself. Inuyasha would not be meeting the council up until he were better. When asked what that meant, she was simply expected to say that the young one was still in the throes of finishing his change and that he was not up to visitors.

But when Inuyasha himself began to be able to walk on his own two feet, Sesshoumaru decided to tell the council that any possible courtier would have to wait until Inuyasha was of age. The council grudgingly agreed.

It had been short of three months and still no word of their friend. So they decided to move on towards the Western Lands. As they arrived they noticed Sesshoumaru standing in an open field with Inuyasha sitting next to him. It looked fairly strange as the image they gave off was that of a husband taking care of his wife. And Inuyasha was no wife. At least that's what Kagome thought he was not. Even after the change, Kagome could not fault her heart for wanting him. Even if she knew that Inuyasha could bare children like any other female, she still felt Inuyasha was perfect for her. Boy, was she going to be hurt when she found out the new Inuyasha had no intentions of mating her.

"Aniki?" – Inuyasha asked as he stood up looking a bit out of sorts. He looked so cute that Miroku found himself drooling at the beauty he found in Inuyasha for as handsome as he were before, it was nothing short of who he was now.

His hair was longer and he was a little taller than he were the last time they saw him. However, even though he had grown up, he had not grown around. He was lean, more so than his brother and that gave the impression of him being weak. Something Miroku was sure that was not so. He wanted – so much – to caress those pale cheeks, those thin violet lines that caressed his cheekbones so lightly and kiss that tempting mouth. But he refrained from even speaking because that might make him a target of Sesshoumaru's rage. The Lord of the Western Lands wasn't known for his patience or his forgiving nature.

"Inuyasha, we've come to pick you up so that we may continue collecting the shards." – said Kagome and was shocked to the core – her eyes widening immensely when she saw Sesshoumaru snort in disgust and turn his head away from them as if they were no more than annoying flies.

"I appreciate your visit Kagome. But I'm not leaving Aniki to collect jewel shards. I fulfilled my promise to you Kagome, I no longer have to protect you because Naraku is gone. Furthermore, I am wanted here. I have obligations to fulfill here. I can ask Sesshoumaru's permission for you to stay a couple of days, for you to replenish your bags with food and water when you finally leave, but I will not go with you."

And with that he stood and looked up to his brother before turning away from them and leaving with Sesshoumaru's arm tightly wound around his waist.

To say that Kagome was stupefied was not a strong word for the emotions that crossed her face. Her cheeks had flushed with red, her gray eyes shined with tears she had not let fall just yet and her mouth quivered with the need to wail and cry like the immature girl they all knew she was. Shippou feared that she might crack under the pressure. He understood what Inuyasha meant by cleaning his hands off the situation. He didn't want to be caught in something more politically dangerous should he go gallivanting with them to hunt for jewel shards. And furthermore… he had extended an invitation for them to stay, but other than that he had basically refused any other association with them. Not because they were humans, but because it was safer for them to stay as far away from him as possible. That's not to say that should he finally be mated to some strong demon he wouldn't visit, but now wasn't the best time to be reunited with his human friends.

He looked over at Miroku and found him looking thoughtful at the path that Inuyasha and his brother had taken. There was a hint of lechery in his violet eyes that made him roll his eyes in disgust. As if Inuyasha having other demons looking at him like that weren't troublesome in itself, having a perverted monk lusting after him just topped the cake. Then he looked over at Sango and found that she was blushing a bit. Perhaps Inuyasha hadn't gone into heat before and now he was on the verge of doing so. He thought as he found how his companions were smitten with the young hanyou. How utterly bad for them.

He wished there was something he could do for Kagome and for Inuyasha as well – he knew he couldn't very well try and play cupid to make them attracted to each other, Kagome was already head over heels in love with a dream Inuyasha (Dream Inuyasha was supposed to drop whatever he was doing to follow on her commands and her wishes and proclaim his undying love for her) and Inuyasha had other things in mind. Unfortunately, he had to go. About a week ago before they resumed their quest, word had gotten out that he was the sole heir to his clan's land seeing as he was the only male in an almost all female community so now he had to go and learn how to deal with leadership and all that to ensure his clan would live on.

He had told this to Sango in passing and she had nodded saying that as soon as they saw Inuyasha he could go on his own travels. But Kagome had no idea of this and that made him a bit wary. He could sense that now that Inuyasha had turned her down 'officially' and was not going to accompany them – mostly they than him – on the rest of the shard quest, she wasn't going to be happy about him going somewhere else. She still thought of him as the little kittling she had supposedly 'rescued' and mothered and stuff from the beginning of their quest. But… he wasn't little anymore. He was tall and broad shouldered. He had grown a lot since before the final countdown with Naraku and whilst he hadn't participated in the fight, he had had a good training instructor on surviving skills. Despite that he had chosen not to use his grown up form and fool the others with his kiddy look, he had other obligations to fulfill as Inuyasha had stated. He hoped that someday he would be ready to honor the young man who saved him and taught him how to survive. And he would in some way he wasn't sure of yet.

But the blush in Sango's face intrigued him. He had never seen her looking like that. And he wondered why it was… it took a minute and then he felt his eyes widen at the thought. Surely Sango didn't find Inuyasha _that_ attractive, now did she?

"How could he have said that?!" – and Shippou was reminded – once again – swiftly of Kagome and her temper tantrums and all that stuff.

"Kagome-chan, I think its fair to take into account that what he said is true. He only promised to defeat Naraku, he did not however mean he had to continue focusing on the jewel and I think that it is very mature of him to acknowledge that now he has other responsibilities to attend that are far more important than a hunt for the jewel shards. You are only upset that he has chosen to stay with his brother than travel with us. It is obvious that he is nowhere near safe if he doesn't have Sesshoumaru by his side. It is also safe to say that he is actually thinking about us as well, for if he were to come with us, he would not only endanger us; he would endanger himself as well." – Sango said after catching Shippou's look of surprise at her.

"But Sango…" – here Shippou could see Kagome's tears had not hold for long.

"No buts. I think its best if we go on our journey now. To go into the western lands now is a waste of time and knowing Sesshoumaru, he would not tolerate your outbursts for long before doing something that there is no guarantee that Inuyasha might be able to diffuse." – and then she turned her head over to Shippou and said…

"I think this is goodbye for us too, right Shippou?" – he found Sango looking back at him as if awaiting his response. An answer to what question he wondered, was it the voiced one or the part where he told her what he saw in her eyes?

"Yes. That's true. I've got my own affairs to see to. I wish I could stick with you guys, but my presence is most imperatively needed with my clan, so I will take my leave now. Goodbye." – and with that Sango nodded kindly towards him as she saw that Kagome was struggling to accept this new turn of events as well. Miroku looked unhappy to see Shippou go, but he did not tell him to stay.

At night, Kagome sighed and figured that it was a lot more quiet now than before because Shippou and Inuyasha were no longer there with them. Miroku was a bit more subdued now than before and Sango was so quiet that she didn't know if she were sad, asleep or mad at her for being such a pain in the butt after the lengthy explanation as to why it was a good idea that Inuyasha should not travel with them. It made her really sad to admit this but she was right. Inuyasha was better off in Sesshoumaru's castle where he was safe and sound from other demons that might want to take advantage of him.

She resigned herself to not see Inuyasha again and as she went to sleep, she felt her heart cry out in sadness at the obvious heartbreak she was feeling.


	3. Part III

Hope

By: HopePoe26

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I, certainly couldn't do this type of work myself, simply because I can't draw shit.

Summary: Naraku was finally dead and the Inu-tachi has been recovering the jewel shards that were missing when Inuyasha suddenly keels over in pain and falls into a coma-sort of sleep. What will happen now?

Warnings: Inuyasha and other characters here are obviously a bit out of character. If it seems that Inuyasha looks too weak for the moment it's because for the moment he is… but later on in the story there would be a more hands on Inuyasha acting out.

A/N: I wish to thank all of those people who have reviewed. I adore getting reviews. On the other side… I would like – if possible that you give me some constructive criticism as that would make the chapters more understandable.

- Part III -

Inuyasha sat still as the tutor droned on about etiquette and how to bow and other things that were basically ingrained in him from before from when he was but a pup, but other than that he had not put it up to use much. It was so much easier to pretend to be a barbarian and an insolent uncouth young man than being the younger prince of the western lands. Once he was free from the clutches of mating season, he was put under tutors for every subject there was. He sighed, blowing away a bang of hair that continuously fell in front of his eyes.

He had a fighting skills tutor and a tutor for drawing and writing and reading and the list went on. And all he wanted was to go to the library and sit quietly with a book on his lap and read. Finally at lunchtime he found his sibling at the dining table. He sighed and sagged a bit as he finally relaxed somewhat in the presence of his brother. Soon though, he was sitting straight again as Rin and the annoying toad came into view and sat at their respective places at the dining table. He hated Jaken with a passion and really wanted to skewer him, but if he had anything to go by; he knew Sesshoumaru would frown down on his poor manners. So he behaved trying to keep Jaken on Sesshoumaru's bad side knowing that if _he_ protested Sesshoumaru would knock him a good one and pat Inuyasha on the head. He knew this infuriated the toad and he continued to endeavor to make him angry so he would receive his just pennance by the hands of the one he 'cared' so much about. He wasn't about to point it out loud that Jaken was terribly in-lust with his brother because he knew that his aniki was aware of Jaken's feelings for him.

If he were truthful, ever since he had come to live inside the castle, there were few demons that were 'nice' to him without having a secret agenda behind the scenes. And those who weren't nice to him were like Jaken. He had to find a way to protect himself from the toad and if it he had to pretend to be courteous to the ugly toad, he would.

When the food was served he waited as his brother took care to eat the first bite. Once the lord of the household had first eaten, he was free to eat his meal at his own leisure pace. Just as he was about to finish eating, a messenger stepped into the dining room carrying a missive. Sesshoumaru read it and Inuyasha was surprised to see some anger overcoming his glacial facial features before going back to his indifferent posture. He wondered what was wrong and was surprised to see that his brother looked over the table to him and did not change his expression despite the fact that his eyes were in turmoil. It came as a shock when he found that he had been staring at his brother and had not noticed that Sesshoumaru had been speaking for awhile.

"… Inuyasha?" – was all he heard and he forcefully dragged his attention back to what his brother had been saying.

"Uh… Yes aniki?" – he said whilst trying to stop ogling his brother for he obviously felt attracted to his sibling's beauty. And this attraction had started long before heat had begun and gone away about a week before.

"I was saying that after lunch, we should go to the library to talk." – Inuyasha nodded wondering why it was that his brother's face looked between a cross of anger and worry.

Once in the library's study, Sesshoumaru closed the door tight and said…

"The council is pushing my limits. Not to mention that I've been declared war upon by a bordering lord. Apparently, he has seen you walking with me around our lands and has put up a request to the council for you to be his mate." – he growled at the last word making Inuyasha gasp as it suddenly occurred to him that his brother detested the idea of him mating anyone else but him.

"What will you do now then?" – he asked softly not daring to meet his brother's eyes for fear that what he assumed was the reason for his anger was just a delusion he had made himself.

He felt his brother's fingers lift his chin up to meet his brother's eyes and he blushed.

"I will go and fight him, but first I intend to find out how you feel about me." – and then he leaned his head down to his, his lips a breath away from his own.

Inuyasha was silenced. He gasped when Sesshoumaru kissed him softly. Not to mention that he felt his youki spiraling out of control from his body to envelop his brother's. He had known that he felt something more than brotherly love for Sesshoumaru – especially now that he had been taken in by his brother and made to be taught how to be an adult. He just hadn't known how badly he felt for his brother. Was he falling in love with elusive cold hearted Demon Lord?

He felt desire pool within him, this made him blush and feel completely warm from head to toe. He had never felt this way before and it made him wary of the reasons as to why. He felt too warm as it were because he felt like his clothes were burning him… hadn't he escaped from heat a few months ago??? Apparently this new heat wasn't physical but emotional and when their lips parted to inhale some air, Inuyasha found his head being cradled into Sesshoumaru's throat.

"Aniki…" – he tried to concentrate and find the words to convey what he felt but he knew that he was very inexperienced in the matters of the heart – Kikyou and Kagome not withstanding and he knew that even if he had always felt something more than brotherly love for his sibling, he didn't really know if he could ask him to be his mate because a mate was forever.

"Hush Inuyasha. I understand that it is too soon for us to express our feelings about this new relationship between us. However, I just want to know if you might consider a mating between us."

"Yes aniki." – he immediately responded feeling foolish for a second – with a blush covering his cheeks prettily – for being so honest.

"Yes what?" – he looked up and found his golden eyes snared in a heated and passionate gaze that came from equally golden eyes from above his head. He shuddered and exhaled a breath quivering in the face of Sesshoumaru's passion.

"I do consider a mating between us… just not at the minute." – he said after a bit. He closed his eyes for a minute leaning into the hollow of Sesshoumaru's throat feeling content. He smiled softly and if he were asked afterwards he would deny that he had nuzzled his brother's throat in a brief but meaningful cuddle.

Sesshoumaru was pleasantly surprised to hear those words come from Inuyasha. He had been hoping that Inuyasha would feel something after all this time and all the trials he put him through throughout his life. And to hear him say he had considered mating… it made him inexplorably happy. Though the 'just not at the minute' made him a bit worried… what would he have to do to make the 'not at the minute' become 'take me now!'? Ok, so the 'take me now' was a bit too much even for him, but still… he couldn't help himself at the thought of finally _having _Inuyasha all for himself. He found himself wanting to hug him but was also keenly aware that the walls had ears and eyes too. So any sort of emotion should have come from Inuyasha before he made any promises. At least any other promises. So as he took off to fight –well more like negotiate something else with the other lord, he felt in his heart that Inuyasha would make a fine mate.

Once he reached the borders of his lands, Shippou was shocked to see the rickety walls of a destroyed hut. This was the beginnings of a village that stood in between his lands and that of the southern lands. He had been shown no courtesy when he began to travel through the Southern lands. He could've easily gone thru the Western lands to reach his, but he knew those woods like the back of his hand and knew that if he stayed out his welcome, Sesshoumaru would not hesitate to kill him. After all he didn't want the Western Lord to think that because he knew his intended mate – he knew the look in his eyes when they had met after Inuyasha's change that he meant to take Inuyasha as his mate – he wanted preferential treatment and as soon to become lord of the Eastern Lands, he shouldn't have to be categorized as the teen that Inuyasha – second son of the late Touga Inutaisho – used to care for when he was the unruly son.

Now… he could see that whoever had asked for him was surely worried over the welfare of the lands… at least he hoped so because up until that time when they came looking for him – he had not known he was the last hope for the Eastern Lands. Nor did he know that he was royalty. He had thought that those of his kind who were of royal blood would look like the golden foxes in the fairy tales that Kagome used to read to him when he first encountered them at the beginning of their quest for the jewel shards.

It was nearly nightfall when he finally reached the outskirts of the only youkai city amongst the whole of the eastern lands. What he saw left him bereft. The city was nowhere near like the towns he passed where the humans had either abandoned the lands to rot or were hungry asking for food and shelter. He had helped along the way trying to fix all the wrong doings his kind had been doing to the humans. But in the end… there was so much he could do and just that much left him unsatisfied. Of course… the kitsune were the ruling tribe right now, but before he had heard say that there had been another truly good tribe that worked to preserve the thin line of acceptance between humans and demons… it could've been any tribe for all it mattered to him.

Yet… he knew this was the cause of a greater villain than Naraku. For all of the crimes that Naraku did it was because he could… because he wanted power to stay alive and he'd do anything even toy with others feelings or lives to get what he wanted. But he usually managed to piss off strong people that could defend themselves and others… he had enemies everywhere he went through. Everything that he destroyed at the end had its consequence and he finally met damnation.

But this… this was not Naraku. The person who did this wasn't wanting power because it already had it. It wasn't looking for riches or any sort of greedy want of a bastard… this was work done by a cowardly male, no female could ever be that evil and still retain her own soul intact. The bastard whoever it were was going to pay. Because what the bastard had done… this was no greed. This was trying to eradicate the earth of humans one mile at a time. This was poison that damaged more than the poisonous miasma that Naraku created to keep others away from him. This was a way to exterminate at a level that Naraku never reached… because usually he just killed them, but he never really tortured his victims. At least the victims to which he cared a damn about, those he tried to torture… those he used mental anguish to do so… but he never really did the kind of torture the bastard was doing.

Because in the long run, mental anguish might work on a certain individual, but physical injuries created by hunger, war, etc. those made mental anguish seem like a tiny pebble on a flowing river. Physical pain hurt in your body, physical pain hurt your soul in the long run. He was really going to kill that one who dared to do this to innocent people… if he had to die to get it… so be it.

Jaken had been insulted in the worst grievous manner than he could have been. He was king of his people –though he no longer were there to do so. He was Sesshoumaru's companion and trusted secretary… but this was insane!!! He did everything his master commanded, why was he being treated this way?! And all for the love of a hanyou that although had elevated his worth by being able to bare children –nevermind that the hanyou had never wanted the change in the first place—it was too much. He was worth more than that hanyou… he was sure of it. He wouldn't put up with this anymore… he wouldn't take care of the girl Rin. He wouldn't make sure that Inuyasha was happy with his tutors or anything of the like. He was done. And so he decided that he'd get rid of the hanyou the only way he knew how. By giving him away to a powerful demon lord from the south.

Sesshoumaru turned into the bed asleep. He rarely did sleep when he was away in a castle that didn't belong to him. In a place where seemingly an enemy could be his greatest ally and his best friend could turn into his worst enemy. He had learned. He had learned it so well. But tonight… with the growing unease that followed him since he left his castle, his father's pride… leaving Inuyasha and Rin all alone with Jaken. Something poisonous had taken breath inside of him… something that told him nothing was ever going to be the same.

This afternoon he had found himself in the gardens that resembled paradise in the castle of his supposed ally or his true enemy, he was filled with the need to go back. He wanted to see Inuyasha again. He had never known true fear.. but now he knew he feared going back on the due day and not seeing Inuyasha ever again. So he had reached a hasty compromise. Something that he gave up that used to be worth a lot… something that was worth all the gold in the world and more was not worth the closeness he had gotten with Inuyasha.

He had been un-redeemably cruel to him since he had been born. But in the quest of trying to find Tetsusaiga and what his father's cryptic words had meant '_Something to protect_', he had garnered enough bravery to get through his feelings and his undeserving attitude towards his half-brother to realize he wanted him. He really wanted him. Not just as family, he had that with his father before he died. He had that with his mother when she had lived in the castle. He had that when he finally realized that caring for someone didn't make someone weak. It made you stronger than before. He had that with Rin. He wanted someone to cherish for the end of time… he wanted Inuyasha there and having his pups and everything else that entitled being with his right one.

And now as he slept… as he dreamed… there came another reality… a future that he hoped would never happen.

He could see himself in a café of sorts… how he knew it was a café he didn't know. And all the things that seemed strange to the Sesshoumaru of the past were like old things to the Sesshoumaru of the future.. to that person he didn't really know yet. It scared him, the idea of himself in a future so distant and not new. He knew this dream in a way was showing him a warning of sorts. But a warning of what and why eluded him. He saw himself sitting at the table and the person next to him was Inuyasha… was this the future that held him whenever they'd be mated and have pups…?

Oh… he hoped it were. He really hoped it were.


End file.
